Relay.



R. H. MANSON. RELAY. APPLIGATION FILED JUNI: e, 190e.

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Patented Nov. 29, 1910.

NITET) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAY I-I. MANSON, 0F ELYRIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE DEAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF ELYRIA, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

RELAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.'

Original application filed May 25, 1904, Serial No. 209,615.

Patented Nov. 29, 191.0.

Divided and this application filed .Tune 6, 1906.

Serial No. 320,477.

To all whom fit 'may concern:

Be it known that I, RAY H. lNIANsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Relays, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to electrical relays, and particularly to the type commonly known as spring contactl relays, that is to those in which the armature of the actuating magnet acts upon springs or pivoted contacts to make and break connections without itself being necessarily included in any circuit thus formed.

This invention is a division of my Patent No. 822,968, issued June l2, 1906.

In such relays it has become standard practice to fasten the contact springs along the upper side of the magnet frame or tube, and to provide an angular armature pivoted at one end of the magnet structure so thatA its upper or horizontal portion will engage the springs or some one of them. W'hen such an armature is swung to and fro by the attraction of the electromagnet pole and its release, the connected spring or springs will be lifted and lowered to alter the relations in the group. Such relays have come into general use in telephone practice as line and cut-off relays, and as such they are usually mounted L"on racks which have extended strips to which the relays are screwed or bolted, end on. The amount of clearance between successive relays on a rack is usually small of necessity, and hence the t'rouble men and inspectors can only get access to the ends thereof for inspection, adjustment and repairs. Heretofore this has been the cause of frequent complaint because the contacts between some of the pairs of springs in the groups on the relays were not visible from the end, the armature interfering with direct view. As between a single pair of springs the problem solved itself, because the armature if made straight on the upper end lay beneath the pair, out of the line of sight; but with the groups frequently employed this is not so.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in ,which Figure 1 is a detailed side elevation showing the flux bar return of the magnet, the

contact springs, and the armature, the core not being shown. Fig. 2 is a detailed end view thereof. Fig. 8 is a modification. Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 show four arrangements of insulation between the lifting pin and the armature. Figs. 8 and 9 show respectively a side elevation and a top plan view of a further modification, Fig. l() shows the preferred form of armature as it is stamped out in blank to be used in connection with the structure shown in Fig. 8; and Fig. l1 is a modification thereof.

Referring now to Fig. l, l represents a flux bar or return arm of the magnet which is secured at one end to the core of the magnet. The forward end of the bar l is provided with two laterally extending pivot pins 2 (one only of which is shown in this figure) upon which the armature 3 is loosely mounted by means of two depending ears or lugs 4, formed thereon and provided with open slots adapted to engage said pivot pins 2. The armature is essentially a bell crank, and comprises a depending member 3 which is adapted to coperate with the front pole of the magnet and the horizontal portion 3b extending rearwardly upon the flux bar l.

Mounted upon the rear end of the flux bar l of the magnet, are the contact springs 7, 8 and 9, insulated at 5 and extending forwardly along the said bar l, substantially parallel therewith to the armature end, where they are provided with Contact points which, by reason of their location, are in plain sight and readily accessible for adjustment and repair.

Loosely mounted upon the bar l is a stop post l0 formed of a cylindrical section of insulating material and having a reduced upper portion 1l which passes through registering openings in springs 9 and 8 and abuts against the under side of the upper spring 7 All three of these springs have a downward set tending to move them toward the bar l but thel downward movement of the spring 9 is limited by the shoulder l2 formed on the lower or larger portion of the stop l() and the corresponding movementof the spring 7 is limited by the upper end l1 of the post. The intermediate spring rests with its contact point in engagement with the contact point of the spring 9, and

vin order to disengage these contacts and establish connection between the contact of the upper spring and the Contact of the intermediate spring, the intermediate spring 8 is provided with a projecting pin 13 which extends through a registering opening in the spring 9 and engages an insulating disk 111 upon the upper side of the lever end 3b of the armature 3 whereby as the latter rises when the armature is attracted by the magnet it lifts the spring 8 and breaks the contact between that and the spring 9 and makes contact between the spring 8 and the upper spring 7, forcing the latter a short distance from its support 11. In the particular form of relay shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 this projection takes the form of a pin 13 riveted to the spring 8 and passes through a hole in the spring 9 to engage a block of insulation 111 on the armature and 3b.

Several modified forms for applying the insulation between the lifting pin and the armature are shown in Figs. et to 7 inclusive and are so clearly illustrated as not to require a particular description.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a preferred arrangement of the stop post 10 wherein it is located near the forward end of the bar 1 and in this instance is provided with a reduced lower portion and a much reduced upper portion 16, and intermediate of the two there is provided an annular collar 17 upon which the lower spring 9 rests. The reduced lower portion passes through an opening in the lever and 3b of the armature 3 and the collar 17 serves as a detent to prevent the armature from being accidentally displaced from its pivots or lifted into contact with the lower spring 9. The armature illustrated may be readily detached, however, by lifting the group of springs and the post 10 a suiiicient distance to allow thelugs 4 to clear the pivot pins 2.

In Figs. 8 and 9 the armature is formed from a sheet metal stamping and has a depending front end 18 and two rearwardly extending arms 19 adapted to embrace'the flux bar 1. -A bar 20 of insulation fitted in ears 21 of the arms 19, engages a lifting pin 22, and a cross pin 23 fixed in lugs 24 engages the open slot 25 formed in the flux bar 1 near the forward end thereof, which cross pin forms a pivot bearing for the armature. In this instance, the stop post 10 is formed similarly to that shown in Fig. 1, having an enlarged lower portion and a reduced upper portion 11 which passes through registering openings in springs 8 and 9 and abuts against the under side of spring 7. The lower enlarged portion of the post 10 is placed so as to overlie the slot 25 and the pin 23 so as to hold the armature in proper position.

In Fig. 10 there is shown a stamped blank from which the armature is formed, and

Fig. 11 shows a slight modification of the same.

Although in all instances I have shown three springs as constituting the group, I do not desire to be in any way limited thereby as a group of contact springs may be composed of two or more as required for the case in hand.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a relay, the combination with a flux bar, of an angular armature associated therewith, a plurality of contact springs mounted upon said iiux bar and having contact points visible and accessible from the front of the relay, an intermediate spring of the contact springs having direct connection wit-h the armature, and pivot mechanism for pivoting the armature to the bar, the contact springs serving to lock the armature in its operative position.

2. In a relay the combination with a flux bar, of an angular armature pivoted thereon, a group of contact springs mounted upon said flux bar extending longitudinally of the relay and having contact points visible and accessible from the front of the relay, and a connecting stud carried by an operative spring of the group back of' the contactpoints, such stud adapted to lie in the path of the armature.

3. In a relay the combination with aflux bar, of an angular armature pivoted thereon, a group of contact springs secured to said flux bar extending longitudinally thereof and provided with contact points visible and accessible from the front of the relay, a stud carried by the operative spring of the group back of the contact points and projecting into the path of movement of the armature, and means for spacing apart the different springs of the group.

t. In a relay the combination with a flux bar, of an angular armature pivoted thereon, a group of contact springs secured t0 said flux bar and extending longitudinally thereof to a point adjacent to the front end of the relay and there being provided with contact points fully visible and accessible from the front end of the relay, a stud carried by the operative spring of the group and extending into the path of movement of the armature, and means for spacing apart the different springs of the group, said means holding the armature in proper pivotal relation with the flux bar.

5. In a relay the combination with a flux bar, of an angular armature loosely pivoted thereon, a group of contact springs secured to said flux bar and extending over a ortion of the armature at the front of the relay and there provided with contact points fully visible and accessible from the front of the relay, a stud carried by the operative spring of the group and extending through the lower spring of the group into engagement with the armature, and an insulating stud loosely mounted upon the flux bar and adapted to space apart the several springs of the group, said insulating stud also holding the armature in proper pivotal relation with the iiuX bar.

6. In a relay, the combination with a flux bar, of an angular armature associated at one end thereof, a group of contact springs mounted upon the flux bar, one of such contact springs constituting an operating spring, said contact springs overlying the armature and having` contact points visible and accessible from the front of the relay, the operating spring of the group having direct connection with the armature, a pivot nember on the bar, and an associate pivot member on the armature, said pivot members adapted to engage each other and to be locked in such position by the contact springs.

7. In a relay, the combination with a flux bar, of an angular armature associated with the front end thereof, a group of contact springs mounted upon said bar and extending forwardly over the armature whereby contact points on said springs are rendered visible and accessible from the front end of the relay, an operating spring for the group having direct connection with the armature, a pivot member on the armature, an associate pivot member at the front end of the bar, said pivot members engaging to pivot the armature to the front end of the bar, said contact springs tending to hold the pivot members in engagement to thereby lock the armature to the bar.

8. In a relay, in combination with a iuX bar, an angular armature pivoted thereon,

contact springs secured to but insulated from such bar and extending longitudinally of the relay, contact points on the ends of the springs and accessible from the front of the relay, means for spacing the contact springs located adjacent to the contact points and to the rear thereof, and an operating connection between the armature and the contact springs located to the rear of such spacing means.

9. In arelay in combination with a flux bar, an angular armature pivoted thereon, contact springs secured to but insulated from such bar and extending longitudinally of the relay, Contact points on the ends of said springs, an operating connection between the armature and the contact springs, and means for spacing the contact springs located between said contact points and said operating connection between the armature and the springs.

l0. In a relay in combination with a flux bar, an angular armature pivoted thereon, contact springs secured to but insulated from such bar and extending longitudinally of the relay and accessible from the front of the relay, contact points on the forward ends of said springs, an operating connection between the armature and the contact springs, and means for spacing the contact springs located between the contact points and said operating connection between the armature and the springs.

In testimony whereof I afIiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RAY H. MANSON.

Witnesses:

A. D. T. LIBBY, A. J. ROBERTS. 

